BOOK ONE: THE BLOOD MOON PROPHECY

Chapter One — The Girl Who Dreamed of Blood

Seraphina's POV

The first time I dreamed of his death, I was seven years old.

The second time, I was thirteen.

The third time, I watched him die with my own hands covered in his blood.

Tonight, I dreamed of him again.

And this time, he knew my name.

"Seraphina."

His voice drifted through the darkness, deep and unfamiliar, carrying an authority that made the very air tremble.

I couldn't see his face.

Only his eyes.

Red.

Not the ordinary red of blood or fire, but a terrifying shade that seemed to swallow every trace of light around it.

He stood beneath a crimson moon, dressed in black, with blood running down his bare chest. Behind him lay the ruins of a kingdom. Bodies covered the ground, and the air reeked of smoke, iron, and death.

Yet he wasn't looking at the destruction.

He was looking at me.

"You shouldn't have come here," I whispered.

He took one step forward.

The earth cracked beneath his feet.

"You summoned me."

"I don't even know you."

His mouth curved into something that wasn't quite a smile.

"Not yet."

A violent shiver traveled down my spine.

I tried to move, but my feet remained rooted to the ground. Something invisible held me in place, wrapping around my ankles like cold fingers.

Then I heard it.

A growl.

Deep.

Primal.

It came from somewhere inside him.

The man's expression changed. For a moment, the coldness disappeared from his face, replaced by something so devastatingly vulnerable that I almost forgot to be afraid.

Then he reached for me.

"Find me before the blood moon rises, little witch."

The world shattered.

I woke with a scream lodged in my throat.

For several seconds, I couldn't breathe.

My bedroom was dark, the curtains fluttering in the cold breeze that slipped through the open window. Moonlight spilled across the wooden floor, illuminating the scattered books on my desk and the silver dagger beneath my pillow.

Everything looked normal.

Everything felt wrong.

I pressed a trembling hand against my chest.

My heart was racing.

And beneath my collarbone, the crescent-shaped birthmark burned as though someone had pressed a heated blade against my skin.

"Damn it."

I threw off the covers and stumbled toward the bathroom.

The moment I looked into the mirror, I froze.

My eyes were silver.

Not their usual dark gray, but a brilliant, unnatural silver that glowed faintly in the darkness.

Then, as quickly as it had appeared, the light vanished.

I gripped the edge of the sink.

This wasn't the first time something strange had happened to me. Over the past few months, my magic had become increasingly unpredictable. Candles ignited whenever I lost my temper. Shadows moved when I was alone. Once, I'd accidentally shattered every window in the eastern wing of the Night Coven simply because one of the elders had annoyed me.

I had blamed exhaustion.

Stress.

The consequences of using too much magic.

Anything except the possibility that something inside me was changing.

I splashed cold water over my face.

"Get yourself together, Seraphina."

The reflection staring back at me looked unconvinced.

A sharp knock sounded at my bedroom door.

"Seraphina?"

Eveline.

Of course.

I opened the door to find my best friend standing in the corridor, wearing a black silk robe and an expression that suggested she'd already decided I was responsible for whatever had disturbed her sleep.

Her copper-red hair was tied into a messy knot, and a small blue flame danced between her fingers.

"Did you feel that?" she asked.

I folded my arms. "Good morning to you, too."

"It's three in the morning."

"Then why are you awake?"

"Because half the protective wards around this building just screamed in a language I haven't heard since my grandmother was alive."

I stopped smiling.

Eveline glanced past me into the bedroom.

"What happened?"

"Nothing."

"Your aura is practically setting the corridor on fire."

"My aura is perfectly fine."

"Seraphina."

"Eveline."

We stared at each other.

She sighed.

"One day, I'm going to develop a spell that forces you to tell the truth."

"One day, I'm going to develop a spell that makes you mind your own business."

"Wonderful. We'll both be dead before either spell works."

Despite myself, I laughed.

Eveline stepped inside and closed the door behind her. Her gaze immediately settled on the crescent mark beneath my collarbone.

Her expression changed.

It was subtle. A slight tightening around her mouth, a flicker of recognition in her eyes.

But I saw it.

"What?" I demanded.

"Nothing."

I narrowed my eyes.

"Don't do that."

"Do what?"

"Look at me like you've just discovered my corpse in a bathtub."

She looked away.

That frightened me more than the dream.

Eveline never looked away.

Not when we were children and I accidentally summoned a swarm of poisonous butterflies. Not when I challenged the previous Supreme Commander in front of the entire Coven. And certainly not when I stole a forbidden grimoire from the restricted archives and blamed the disappearance on a particularly unfortunate librarian.

Something was wrong.

Before I could question her further, the bells began to ring.

One.

Two.

Three.

The sound rolled through the corridors of the Night Coven, deep and metallic.

I counted seven strikes before the bells fell silent.

My stomach tightened.

Seven bells.

An emergency summons.

Someone had breached the outer wards.

"Get dressed," Eveline said.

"What's happening?"

"I don't know."

For once, I believed her.

I pulled on black trousers, a fitted shirt, and my leather combat jacket. I strapped my silver dagger to my thigh and secured a second blade at my waist.

Eveline watched me buckle the final strap.

"You know," she remarked, "most women your age spend their nights dreaming about handsome strangers."

"I dream about handsome strangers all the time."

She raised an eyebrow.

"I just happen to dream about them committing mass murder."

"That is deeply reassuring."

I opened the door.

"Come on."

And together, we headed toward the war chamber.

Neither of us noticed the shadow following us.

---

The war chamber occupied the oldest tower of the Night Coven.

Its walls were carved from black stone, its ceiling painted with constellations that shifted according to the movements of the moon. A circular table stood at the center, surrounded by thirteen chairs.

Twelve were occupied.

The thirteenth belonged to me.

As Supreme Commander, I was responsible for the safety of the Coven's three hundred and twelve members, the protection of our enchanted territories, and the preservation of magical knowledge that could destroy entire kingdoms if it fell into the wrong hands.

I had earned my position through blood, sacrifice, and three years of proving that age meant absolutely nothing when one's enemies were incompetent.

I had no intention of surrendering that authority because someone had decided to ring a few bells.

"Report," I ordered.

Commander Thorne, the oldest battle witch in the room, rose from his chair.

"The northern wards have been breached."

"By whom?"

"We don't know."

"Then find out."

"Supreme Commander, there's something else."

His hesitation irritated me.

"Speak."

He swallowed.

"The creatures that crossed the boundary weren't human."

A murmur spread around the table.

I remained still.

"We live in a world populated by werewolves, vampires, witches, and things that make all three species look civilized. You'll need to be more specific."

A few nervous smiles appeared.

Commander Thorne didn't smile.

"Three bodies were found near the northern forest. Their throats had been torn open. One was drained of blood. Another had been burned from the inside."

"And the third?"

His eyes met mine.

"Frozen solid."

Silence.

I leaned back in my chair.

Three different methods of killing.

Three supernatural signatures.

Someone wanted us to know that they had the power to cross our borders and leave a message.

"Have the bodies examined. I want every trace of magic identified, every witness questioned, and every entrance to our territory secured before sunrise."

"Yes, Supreme Commander."

"And notify the neighboring packs. If this is a territorial provocation, I want to know who benefits from it."

Commander Thorne hesitated again.

This time, I lost my patience.

"Is there a reason you're still standing here?"

"The Northern Alpha King has already been informed."

My fingers went still against the armrest.

The Northern Alpha King.

Kael Draven.

I'd never met him, although I'd heard enough stories to recognize the name. He was supposedly the strongest Alpha to emerge in several centuries, a ruthless ruler who had crushed three rebellious packs and forced the surrounding territories into submission.

Some called him a visionary.

Others called him a monster.

Personally, I had no opinion.

I didn't make a habit of forming attachments to men who considered an entire kingdom their personal property.

"What does he want?" I asked.

Commander Thorne exchanged a glance with the woman seated beside him.

My patience snapped.

"Must I ask every question three times tonight?"

"He sent a message," Thorne said.

"And?"

"He requests your presence at the Royal Gathering tomorrow evening."

I stared at him.

Then I laughed.

Not because anything was funny.

Because the alternative was walking across the table and strangling him with his own ceremonial robes.

"Requests?"

"His exact words were that your attendance is expected."

"How considerate."

"Supreme Commander—"

"Tell the Alpha King that the Night Coven does not answer to his throne."

"Seraphina," Eveline murmured.

I ignored her.

"If he wishes to discuss the murders, he may send an authorized representative. If he wishes to discuss territorial security, he may submit a formal proposal. And if he wishes to order me around, he may discover that I have an extremely limited tolerance for men who confuse authority with ownership."

No one spoke.

Good.

I stood.

"Meeting adjourned. Commander Thorne, I want your report on my desk before noon. Eveline, you're coming with me."

"Where?"

"The northern boundary."

She blinked.

"It's three in the morning."

"Then we have the advantage of darkness."

"You're aware that darkness is precisely when things tend to kill people?"

I headed for the door.

"Try not to fall behind."

---

The forest smelled of wet earth, pine, and something metallic.

Blood.

I crouched beside the first body while two battle witches maintained a circle of protective runes around the clearing.

The dead man was young, perhaps thirty. His throat had been torn open, but there was no evidence of a struggle.

His eyes stared at the sky.

I closed them with my fingers.

"Do you recognize him?" Eveline asked quietly.

"No."

I examined the wound.

The edges were ragged, the flesh bruised. Whatever had killed him possessed extraordinary strength.

A werewolf, perhaps.

But the scent was wrong.

I moved toward the second body.

The victim's skin had turned an unnatural gray. There were no visible wounds apart from two small punctures beneath the jaw.

A vampire.

That was my first thought.

Then I noticed the blood.

There was almost none.

Not a single drop on the ground.

My stomach tightened.

"Someone removed the blood," I murmured.

Eveline approached.

"Could a vampire have done it?"

"Possibly."

"But?"

I looked toward the third body.

"Vampires don't usually freeze their victims from the inside."

The third corpse lay beneath a dead oak.

A thin layer of ice covered its skin despite the relatively mild temperature. Beneath the translucent surface, dark veins spread across the man's neck and face.

I reached toward him.

"Don't touch it," Eveline warned.

"I know what I'm doing."

"You say that immediately before doing something stupid."

I ignored her and pressed two fingers against the corpse's forehead.

Magic surged through my hand.

The world disappeared.

I was standing in a vast hall illuminated by crimson candles.

A man knelt before a throne.

His hands were chained behind his back, his head bowed, his shoulders trembling.

Someone stood behind him.

A woman.

I couldn't see her face, but I could feel the hatred radiating from her.

"Find the girl," she commanded.

The kneeling man raised his head.

"What if the Alpha finds her first?"

The woman's laughter was soft and terrible.

"Then we kill his mate."

The vision shattered.

I staggered backward, gasping.

Eveline caught my arm.

"Seraphina!"

I couldn't answer.

My palm burned.

Beneath my collarbone, the crescent mark blazed with such intensity that I thought my skin might split open.

Then the forest went silent.

Every bird stopped singing.

Every insect ceased its chirping.

The witches around me stiffened.

Something was coming.

I could feel it moving through the trees, a presence so powerful that the protective runes began to flicker.

A low growl rolled across the clearing.

Eveline's face drained of color.

"No," she whispered.

"What?"

She grabbed my wrist.

"We need to leave."

Before I could ask why, a massive black wolf emerged between the trees.

He was enormous.

His shoulders stood higher than those of any ordinary wolf, and his coat was so dark that it seemed to absorb the moonlight. His eyes burned red.

The same red I'd seen in my dream.

My breath caught.

The wolf stared at me.

Something inside my chest answered.

It wasn't fear.

It wasn't curiosity.

It was recognition.

Impossible, instinctive recognition.

The wolf took one step forward.

My magic recoiled.

Every protective rune in the clearing shattered simultaneously.

One of the witches screamed.

The wolf didn't look at her.

He looked only at me.

And then, inside my mind, I heard a voice that wasn't mine.

Mate.

The word struck me with the force of a physical blow.

I stumbled backward.

"No."

The wolf's ears flattened.

Mine.

Anger flared through me so violently that the air around my body began to vibrate.

I had spent my entire life fighting against the notion that anyone had the right to dictate my destiny.

I had fought for my position, my authority, and my freedom.

I had buried friends.

I had survived a ritual that should have killed me.

I had earned every inch of the power I possessed.

And now some enormous, arrogant wolf had appeared in the middle of my territory and decided that I belonged to him?

Absolutely not.

I straightened.

My fear vanished beneath a wave of cold fury.

"I don't know who you are," I told him, my voice carrying across the clearing, "but you have exactly three seconds to get out of my territory."

The wolf growled.

The ground trembled.

Eveline whispered a prayer behind me.

I raised my chin.

"One."

The wolf took another step.

"Two."

His red eyes burned brighter.

"Three."

The darkness exploded.

A violent gust swept through the clearing, tearing leaves from the trees and extinguishing every flame. I felt magic crash against my body, powerful enough to force me to my knees.

But I didn't bow.

I reached into the depths of myself and unleashed a command I had never used before.

"ENOUGH!"

Silver light erupted from my skin.

The wolf froze.

For one impossible second, neither of us moved.

Then the enormous beast lowered his head.

Not in submission.

In shock.

I felt it through the bond, a sudden fracture in his certainty.

His voice returned to my mind, no longer commanding.

Almost disbelieving.

What are you?

I smiled without humor.

"That's an excellent question."

The wolf stared at me for another heartbeat.

Then black smoke enveloped his body.

Bones cracked.

Muscles shifted.

The beast disappeared.

And a man stood in his place.

Tall. Broad-shouldered. Dressed in black trousers, with dark hair falling across his forehead and a body marked by old scars.

He was beautiful in the way a blade was beautiful.

Cold, dangerous, and clearly designed to hurt anyone foolish enough to touch it.

His red eyes traveled over my face.

Then stopped at my throat.

His expression changed.

Recognition.

Hunger.

Possession.

He approached slowly, and I hated the way my body reacted to his presence. My pulse quickened. My skin warmed. Something deep inside me strained toward him, demanding that I close the distance between us.

I resisted with everything I had.

He stopped an arm's length away.

"Seraphina Vale," he said.

His voice was even deeper than it had been in my dream.

I lifted my chin.

"You're trespassing."

His gaze didn't waver.

"I'm Kael Draven."

"The Alpha King. I'm aware."

A muscle moved in his jaw.

For the first time, I noticed the exhaustion beneath his eyes, the tension in his shoulders, and the way his hands curled as though he were fighting the urge to reach for me.

He looked at me as if I'd become the only thing in the world worth seeing.

Then he spoke the words that would change my life.

"You're my mate."

Silence fell over the clearing.

Eveline made a strangled sound behind me.

I stared at him.

Then I laughed.

His expression darkened.

"Is something amusing?"

"Several things, actually."

I stepped closer, refusing to let him see how violently the bond was pulling at me.

"First, you've entered my territory without permission. Second, your arrival has destroyed my protective wards. Third, there are three dead bodies behind me, and I have every reason to suspect that your kind may be involved."

His eyes flashed.

"My kind?"

"Would you prefer I say your species?"

He moved closer.

The air thickened.

Every instinct in my body screamed at me to lower my eyes.

I refused.

"You will come with me," he said.

I smiled.

"No."

His expression became dangerously still.

"No?"

"Was I unclear?"

His gaze dropped briefly to my mouth before returning to my eyes.

"You have no idea what you're refusing."

"Then perhaps you should explain it to me."

A growl rumbled in his chest.

I felt it through the bond, a dark vibration that made my pulse stumble.

He took another step.

I didn't move.

"You're coming to my kingdom," he said. "Tonight."

"And if I decline?"

His eyes darkened.

"Then I'll have to find another way to convince you."

The words should have frightened me.

Instead, they ignited something furious and reckless inside my chest.

I leaned closer, until there was barely any space between us.

"Listen carefully, Alpha King. I am not one of your wolves. I am not one of your subjects. And I am certainly not a woman who will abandon her responsibilities because a stranger has decided that the moon gave him ownership of my life."

His jaw tightened.

"I am the Supreme Commander of the Night Coven. I command three hundred and twelve witches, control some of the most dangerous magic in existence, and answer to no king."

I watched the realization settle over his face.

"You want a mate?" I whispered. "Then learn the difference between claiming a woman and earning her trust."

For a long moment, he said nothing.

Then his expression changed.

Not softened.

Changed.

The possessive fury in his eyes gave way to something more dangerous: determination.

"You think I want a woman who fears me?"

"I think you're accustomed to women who obey you."

He smiled slowly.

It was the first genuine smile I'd seen on his face.

And somehow, it frightened me more than his anger.

"You're going to be a problem, Seraphina."

I returned his smile.

"Then perhaps you should leave before I become one."

His gaze held mine.

"I don't leave things unfinished."

"Neither do I."

The bond pulsed between us.

For a moment, I felt something beneath his anger.

Pain.

Old, deep, carefully concealed pain.

It vanished so quickly that I almost convinced myself I'd imagined it.

Then Kael leaned toward me.

His voice dropped to a whisper meant only for me.

"You can fight me, little witch. You can hate me. You can spend every waking moment trying to escape me."

His eyes burned into mine.

"But the moment I recognized you, my entire world changed."

He paused.

"And I have

Hello, my lovely readers! 🥰❤️

Welcome to my little world of magic, passion, secrets, and forbidden desires! 🌙🐺✨

I'm so excited to take you on this journey with The Blood Moon Saga – Book One: The Blood Moon Prophecy. Get ready for powerful characters, unexpected twists, dangerous attractions, intense emotions, and secrets that could change everything. 🔥🩸

I hope you'll laugh, fall in love, hold your breath, and perhaps even shed a tear along the way. 🥹❤️

Thank you for being here and giving my story a chance. Your support means the world to me!

With love,

Happy reading, my darlings! 💋📖